Necromancer Survival-Novel

Chapter 399

[Lee-kyung-ah.]

The chill from Dawon's absolute-zero cold expression gradually faded as he called out my name. The imposing presence of the unnamed entity surrounding him also becplacid.

Only then did sof my courage return, so, in a cracked voice, I called out his name. "Dawon-ah."

Then, as if guided by my voice, Dawon-ie slowly landed on the ground.

His movements were silent, like a feather settling down; but for me, the fact that the Mage had planted his feet on the ground brought a strangely strong sense of relief. Because, just a moment ago, he felt otherworldly.

It was a feeling similar to encountering a monster in a dungeon. A completely different system or existence–something belonging to a different world… Something incomprehensible, unreachable–…

I was worried that Dawon-ie might turn into sinexplicable being–like those monsters. I was keenly aware of this unease.

"…Are you alright?" I inhaled a sharp breath as I approached the Mage. I wanted to touch him. The mere touch of his skin beneath my fingertips might reject that ominous feeling.

But, Dawon-ie just stared atas I approached. His cold eyes were fixed on my wrist.

[He touched you again.]

"Huh?"

His words were not accompanied by a frown or any other change in expression. Unable to predict what would follow, I walked another half-step closer.

Plop–!

At the stime, blood began to flow from both of Moon Issak's eyes.

"Arrghh!" Moon Issak screamed at the terrible pain of losing his eyes. I froze immediately; Dawon looked at my rigid self and quietly whispered–

[How do you wantto kill him?]

Though he phrased it as a question, it was merely symbolic. He wasn't actually asking for my opinion. Eventually, he turned his head away when I remained silent.

Meanwhile, I saw Moon Issak's wrecked face with bloody tear tracks crossing his cheeks. The moment Dawon turned to look at the investigator, I could clearly see fear and horror on Moon Issak's face.

"G-Go away!" Using his mouth–the only intact feature or appendage Moon Issak had, I heard a tremor in his voice that he couldn't hide.

[……]

Dawon-ie silently glided to a stop in front of Moon Issak–mirroring his movements from when he first landed on the ground. Then, the Mage raised his skeletal hand–bleached white bone after his skin had all been scorched away–and grabbed Moon Issak's neck. The investigator's face quickly turned purple even though it didn't seem like the Mage's grip was particularly strong. Moon Issak's blackened lips and eyes opened almost automatically.

"…Choi Lee-kyung-ssi, something feels off. You should try to stop or dissuade Guildmaster-nim."

"……"

At that moment, Choi Kyung-sik approachedand quietly insinuated that I should intervene. I also felt the situation was strange, so I tried to step closer to Dawon-ie. However, just before my feet lifted off the ground, Moon Issak's scream echoed out; my nostrils smelled the metallic scent of blood.

"Knnngh….!" Moon Issak struggled and trembled in the Mage's hold. Dawon lifted his neck higher and higher… until he suddenly bit the man in the nape of his neck.

I've seen Lackey bite the dead or near dead to turn them into Ghouls. However, Moon Issak was still alive, and Dawon-ie wasn't necessarily in his summoned form. Nevertheless, Moon Issak's neck swelled, expanding from the bite mark; soon, purple veins protruded from his skin.

"Gurgle–!"

White bubbles began to form around the corners of Moon Issak's mouth. His eyes were rolled over into the back of his head, and only the whites were showing.

Dawon-ie continued to drink Moon Issak's blood, paying no attention to any changes. Gulp by gulp, the audible sound of blood flowing down the Mage's esophagus filled the space.

‘…Are servants able to drink the blood of people other than their master, the Necromancer?'

I was frozen, unable to look away from the shocking scene. It felt as if my feet were nailed to the ground. Suddenly, Dawon's body began to react strangely.

‘His hair…'

Dawon's lengthened hair began to ripple, as if a strong wind was sweeping through the room; a faint golden light started to spread along the lines of his body.

And, when Dawon turned to me, my eyes opened wide, startled. His left eye's pupil turned golden.

"Dawon-ah, wait a minute…!"

As soon as I noticed this ominous change, I ran to stop Dawon. However, just as I took a step forward, the seams of the handcuffs that had tightly bound my wrists rapidly corroded and broke apart.

Clang–!

At the stime, Moon Isaak's head, which had been making a grinding sound due to the pressure Dawon-ie exerted, suddenly tilted completely backward. Dawon finally let him go as if he was discarding a piece of dirty trash.

With a thud, Moon Issak collapsed, and an odious, rotten smell began to seep out from where he fell.

Dawon-ie then spat out the blood that remained in his mouth. The intangible ‘something' surrounding the Mage was plenty agitated. So, I hurriedly reached out to grasp Seo Dawon, but…

Bounce–!

My fingertips, hurriedly reaching out, were blocked and bounced off of something unknown.

Dawon looked atwith an indifferent gaze; I groped at the air with widened eyes. I instinctively realized that I had to stop him immediately. "[Seo Dawon]! Sto… Cough!"

However, before I could finish my command, something invisible wrapped around my neck.

A severe chill ran throughthe moment that unidentified ‘something' wrapped around my neck. My whole body felt as if it were trapped in ice–I couldn't move a single muscle. As that ‘something' revealed its true form…my expression naturally showcased my sheer shock.

‘What on earth…'

That ‘something' was Dawon's shadow.

This shadow was something that should not be able to appear in his spiritual state, but what else could I call this dark shape that resembled Dawon and extended from his feet?

Soon, ‘it' strangled me, pressing down on my tongue with fingers to completely subdue and stopfrom uttering a ‘command.' ‘Its’ eyes were red.

"Da…. Nngh…" Despite everything, I persisted in trying to call out to Seo Dawon. However, I could no longer resist when the shadow threateningly pressed down on the root of my tongue.

‘This isn't Dawon…'

It was impossible for him to treatlike this, so this shadow couldn't be Seo Dawon. With that in mind, I exerted sforce in my chin to try to bite off the shadow with my teeth.

[Lee-kyung-ah.]

It was then–

When he sawthrashing, Dawon-ie called out my name. Reflexively, the shadow stopped moving and released its hold slightly.

"Cough, C-Cough…"

The shadow then poured into my throat.

I felt something strange–neither liquid nor solid–filling my body. I bent over to spit or vomit it out, but whatever it was had already dug inside my stomach.

"Blergh–!"

"Choi Lee-kyung-ssi!" A beat late, Choi Kyung-sik rushed to my side. However, the Alchemist also bounced off an invisible barrier. The shadow had peeled away fromand stood in front of Choi Kyung-sik, blocking his way. Unable to see the shadow, the young alchemist seemed flustered, "Damn it! What's in front of me?!"

"……!"

I tried to inform Choi Kyungsik of the shadow's presence, but my voice would not cout; it felt like my neck and tongue had hardened.

When my eyes opened wide and I grabbed my throat, Choi Kyung-sik furrowed his brow, "Stay still for now, Choi Lee-kyung-ssi…"

Fortunately, he immediately realized that something was wrong with me.

[Choi Kyung-sik.]

However, at that moment, my voice spilled out of the shadow's mouth. Choi Kyung-sik's eyes opened wide as he made eye contact with Dawon's shadow that had materialized in front of him.

The distorted surface of the shadow looked like bulging magma–bubbles rising. The shadow, which looked like Seo Dawon until now, had changed to look likein the blink of an eye.

Of course, from my point of view, the shadow didn't really have any substance and wasn't a solid presence, but….

"…Choi Lee-kyung-ssi?" Choi Kyung-sik said, surprised. Perhaps to him, the shadow was a perfect clone of me.

Then, as soon as the shadow heard Choi Kyung-sik's words, it adopted a chilling smile–each corner of its mouth stretched wide, as if the smile was in danger of tearing apart the face. Then, it opened its gaping lips and gave a ‘command' in my voice.

[The servant, ‘Choi Kyung-sik,' will be exempt from summoning for 24 hours.]

"Wait…!" Bewildered, Choi Kyung-sik tried to resist, but he vanished after the exemption was activated.

The shadow soon dribbled back beneath Dawon's feet, as if it were flowing water. I was both shocked and left cowering at such an unbelievable sight.

Thud–!

However, Seo Dawon was also the one who quickly caught my stumbling self. He stared down at me–silent from shock–with an affable yet forlorn expression.

Though that expression was probably meant to deceive me, I still really wanted to rely on and trust him. I thought… Perhaps there was an underlying reason for all this…Or perhaps the Mage wasn't in full control or he was acting against his will. But…

"……!"

My skin began to turn black from where Dawon was holding my body, and my body began to feel incredibly heavy.

I slowly sank towards the floor; at the stime, the shadow at Dawon's feet began to rise. The shape and color gradually began to take form, completing itself–as if it had absorbed my color.

[Dawon-ah.]

Finally, ‘it,' which now looked exactly like me, stood by Dawon and spoke with my stolen voice. Astonished, I reached out; but, at that moment, I completely sank underground, as if I had been submerged in a lake.

However, as if I were standing at the opposite side of a transparent, glass wall, I could still observe Dawon and that shadow. The Mage nodded after coldly looking at my clone; the shadow then obediently opened its mouth.

[Summon all standby servants to my side.]

The Shadow used a command that even I was unfamiliar with. Every servant, except for the ones that had been exempted or reverse-summoned due to damage–was summoned to our location. I could only look on at the scene, eyes wide open.

TL: The chills…

Sorry this is late guys, it's getting to conference season >.<